PMS News & Notes 2/27/15

We are officially past the mid-point of the 3rd Quarter, and I noticed some 30's in the long term forecast...perhaps spring and warm weather is right around the corner?  I think we are all ready for that!  Check out some news from the week that was and the weeks and months to come...

Parent-Teacher Conferences
I appreciate the hard work that everyone has spent contacting parents to set up a time to meet for our 2nd round of parent-teacher conferences.  This is a great communication opportunity for us. Conferences will be on Monday from 4:00 to 7:30 and Thursday from 4:30 to 8:00.

Student of the Month Breakfast
This is a reminder to everyone, except the 6th grade team :), to get me your nominations for February Student of the Month ASAP.  The breakfast will be on Thursday, March 12 starting at 7:00 am.

Badger Exam Schedule
We have tentatively set the dates and times for the Badger Exam.  This testing process will be much different than the traditional WKCE.  More details will follow in the next couple of weeks in terms of groups and formal preparation.  The testing schedule will be:

6th and 7th Grade
ELA - 4/14 - 4/17 - 7:35 - 9:05 am
Math - 4/21 - 4/24 - 7:35 - 9:05 am

8th Grade
ELA - 4/14 - 4/17 - 9:05 - 10:35 am
Math - 4/28 - 5/1 - 9:05 - 10:35 am

Upcoming Staff Meeting
This is a reminder that we will have a staff meeting on Wednesday of the week, 3/4 in Room 201.

Budget

Another reminder to be working on budget for next year.  You can click HERE for a template for a requisition.  As a reminder, please have materials turned in to me by March 13.

Twitter Post of the Week

 Todd retweeted

Beth Whitaker ‏@BethWhitaker2  1h1 hour ago

Five Trends That Are Transforming Education http://zite.to/1E1CzMH 

Duty This Week
Morning - Anderson, Barnett
Bus - Harms

Data
Attendance Rate - 95.45% (Goal: 96%)

Behavior Referrals in 3rd Quarter through 5 weeks
14-15 - 29 Events 26 Students
13-14 - 74 Events 42 Students
12-13 - 76 Events 51 Students

PMS News & Notes 2/19/15

March is a week away...this year is flying by.  There are many great things going on here...I am excited to be a Poynette Puma.  Some news and notes below...

Parent-Teacher Conferences

PT Conferences are sneaking up on us in a hurry.  We will host two nights of PT Conferences on Monday, March 2 (4:00-7:30) and Thursday, March 5 (4:30-8:00).  For these round of conferences, teachers should contact and schedule conferences with parents of students of concern.  Please collaborate with other teachers so that we can have more than one teacher(s) in on a conference for a specific student if necessary.  As a guideline, we should be inviting parents of any student that has received either a NE or BE on any standard, or that we have behavior concerns about.  I sent a message to parents through Campus Messenger on Thursday night reminding them about conferences, and letting parents know that they can contact us if they would like to come in for a conference if we did not contact them.  Please share the grade level conference schedule with Robin and myself.

Mid-Quarter Grades

This is a reminder that we are approaching the mid-quarter at alarming speed.  Please have your mid-quarter grades posted by end of day Friday, February 27.  In my message to parents through Campus Messenger about PT Conferences I also gave parents this date.

SLO/PPG Mid-Year Meetings

Thank you to those of you that have scheduled and met with me already about your SLO/PPG.  For this process, please complete the Mid-Year Review responses in Teachscape, and then send me a quick email letting me know that you have completed that step.  I will then schedule a quick meeting to check-in on progress.  The meetings that I have had already have been awesome.

Budget

Another reminder to be working on budget for next year.  You can click HERE for a template for a requisition.  As a reminder, please have materials turned in to me by March 13.

Grade Level Blogs

The positive feedback continues to come in about the grade level blogs.  I really appreciate the time that our teachers have taken to keep our parents in the loop about what their children are working on in each class.  If you have not contributed, but would like to, please contact the following people to grant you "author privileges". 6th - Alex O., 7th - Tess B., 8th - Jerry P.

Student of the Month Breakfast

This is a reminder that the next SOM Breakfast will be on Thursday, March 12.  Please get your nominations to me by the middle of next week.  Thank you 6th Grade team for your prompt nominations.

WKCE Results

We received the results of the WKCE tests that 8th graders took in early November.  The students were tested in Science and Social Studies.  81.6% of our students were proficient or advanced in both Science and Social Studies.

Educational Politics
With all of the hubbub about the Governor's latest budget, State Superintendent, Tony Evers sent this LETTER.  Dr. Evers gives a solid perspective about the realities of the state budget and how it will impact public education.  I am confident that in Poynette our goals will drive our budgetary decisions.

Twitter Post of the Week

Elisabeth Bostwick ‏@ElisaBostwick  2m2 minutes ago

Empathy is important because when kids feel understood they are more likely to take risks. #whatIsSchool

Duty This Week
Morning - Rogness, Vian
Bus - Hazard

Data
STAR Results

Math
6th Grade	Fall	Winter
% at or above Grade Level	66%	74%
% Meeting Growth Targets	n/a	66%
7th Grade	Fall	Winter
% at or above Grade Level	75%	85%
% Meeting Growth Targets	n/a	60%
8th Grade	Fall	Winter
% at or above Grade Level	68%	75%
% Meeting Growth Targets	n/a	63%
Reading
6th Grade	Fall	Winter
% at or above Grade Level	47%	53%
% Meeting Growth Targets	n/a	60%
7th Grade	Fall	Winter
% at or above Grade Level	48%	52%
% Meeting Growth Targets	n/a	57%
8th Grade	Fall	Winter
% at or above Grade Level	52%	51%
% Meeting Growth Targets	n/a	57%

  

Improving Instructional Practices Vol. 11

Thanks to Mrs. Morrissey and Ms. Niemeyer for these short, weekly tips for effective instruction practices.

Formative Assessments ~ Kahoot

Danielson’s Domains:  1f Designing Students Assessments, 3d Using Assessment in Instruction

Want a quick and engaging way to formatively assess student learning?  Give Kahoot a try!

This website lets students respond to polls that teachers can create on a computer, phone, or tablet.  Kahoot students to answer on their device and gives you a quick graph of results as to what students know, and any misconceptions they still may have that you can address right away.  

Try it out at gethakoot.com

PMS News & Notes 2/13/15

There is nothing like going to a state conference and getting the chance to meet and talk with other principals across the state to really put in perspective the magnitude of the work that we are doing on a daily basis in Poynette.  Getting back in the building on Friday afternoon was energizing.  Working with a staff that has a continued focus on "getting better" in anything that we do, and the drive and commitment to get those things done is a lot of fun.  I appreciate the role that each of our staff members plays in the lives of our students.  A few notes below...

Conference Takeaways  

I was able to attend multiple sessions on topics like: scheduling, Badger Exam, Grading for Learning, ELA Common Core look-fors, and Intervention/Enrichment Period time usage...but the biggest learning that I took away came from the keynote speaker, Dr. Anthony Muhammad.  He was a leader in a major turnaround of success in a Detroit area school district.  He talked about many things, but the thing that stands out for us to keep at the forefront of our words and actions is having high expectations for all students.  Kids tend to rise to the expectations that we set for them.  This comes through in both our body language and our words.
We have talked a lot about the culture of our building.  I think that we have a vision for what type of culture we want in our building...respectful, kind interactions,and learning focused...Getting to this vision is not something that can happen overnight, and it comes through in every word and interaction between every staff member and student.  I thought the quote below captures the effect of high expectations for all pretty well.

We will continue to work to foster and build this culture everywhere in our building.

Student of the Month Breakfast
The next student of the month breakfast will be on Thursday, March 12.  Please collaborate and get the names to me by Wednesday, February 25.

Budget Time
This is a reminder that we are in the midst of budget creation for next year.  Some groups are ready to meet with me already.  Please let me know when you are ready to sit down and look at the budget numbers for next year.

Mid-Year SLO/PPG
Another reminder to let me know when you are ready to sit down and review student data and progress towards both the SLO and PPG's.

Puma Pride Team
If you are interested in participating on a Puma Pride team, you are welcome to join the team.  We will have a meeting on Thursday (2/19) at 3:00pm in Mrs. Hendrickson's room.  Thanks to Mrs. Hendrickson and Mrs. Graeve for volunteering to be a part of this group already.  We will focus on: analyzing Puma Pride rubric language, our behavior data, best practices in managing student behavior, and planning for overall school culture cultivation.  We will use the book, School Culture Rewired by Steve Gruenert and Todd Whitaker, to frame our focus.

Growth Mind-Set Reminder
I wanted to include a reminder about the strong research done by Carol Dweck in the area of growth mindset...and its implications in a student's motivation.  HERE is a link to the short video we watched earlier in the year.

Generating Student Discussion

Check out this tip from a teacher that has had success generating student discussion in his classroom...from the Marshall Memo 573

Silent 15-Minute Online Dialogues in a Middle-School Classroom

        “In a normal classroom discussion, power often rests with the quickest minds,” says Jason Hilton (Slippery Rock University, PA) in this AMLE Magazine article. “The ability to quickly respond with a well-constructed verbal retort dominates conversation from debate halls to playground walls.” That’s why, when he was teaching the Bill of Rights and related Supreme Court decisions to eighth graders, he had students spend the first 15 minutes of each class in complete silence “conversing” with each other in an online discussion forum. “All discussion had to be online,” says Hilton, “even if they were engaged in a discussion with someone sitting right next to them.” When Hilton called time-out and closed the discussion forum so students could return to their wiki projects, the silence was broken by moans and complaints, and he had to promise to open the forum again at the end of class.

Reflecting on the experience, Hilton sees several advantages. First, the discussion board and wiki projects, which were student-centered, problem-based learning, “place every step, from content knowledge to argument synthesis, in the hands of the students.” Second, “Even though the students were sitting in the same classroom, the digital medium through which the students were asked to participate presented an opportunity for students to overcome traditional barriers to classroom conversation. It no longer mattered what students looked like, who their friends were, or where they might be sitting. Instead, the more thoughtful students who may have been shut out of a traditional classroom dialogue by its rapid pace were able to take their time to craft a more powerful commentary.” Finally, the online discussion seemed to energize students who were normally passive and silent.

Hilton realized that without several key elements, this discussion would not have been as successful:

• A meaty and intriguing topic that would engage students at a high level;
• A laptop cart that put a computer in front of every student;
• Requiring that all contributions and dialogue take place through silent keyboarding;
• Careful monitoring by the teacher during class and after hours to ensure appropriate, respectful exchanges;
• Knowing when to bring closure.

“The Power of Silent Discussion” by Jason Hilton in AMLE Magazine, February 2015 (Vol. 2, #6, p. 29-31); Hilton can be reached at Jason.hilton@sru.edu.

Educational Politics

Since the Governor's proposed budget release, there has been lots to say about the impact of K-12 education funding and policies. One thing seems certain is that there will be debate and discussion in the legislature about the specifics, and this will take time. In the meantime, as people discuss the proposals, I think it's important for people in education to be informed and talk accurately to other people about the issues. I have linked a couple of articles about the education portion of the issue HERE and HERE. Take a look at the issues around the state testing proposal (common core ban) and school accountability (schools receiving letter grades).

I am confident that we have a solid plan in Poynette for whatever budget is approved and signed into law.

Twitter Find of the Week

Todd ‏@ToddWhitaker  39s39 seconds ago

#satchat @GreatestQuotes: "A goal should scare you a little, and excite you a lot." - Dr. Joe Vitale

Todd ‏@ToddWhitaker  6m6 minutes ago

A3 Be upbeat and positive every single day. This is the minimum and yet it would be an improvement in many situations. #satchat

Duty This Week

Morning - Lendobeja, O'Connor

Bus - Hendrickson

Data
Attendance Rate
13-14 - 95.45%
14-15 - 95.54%

Tardy Data
14-15
# of students with at least 1 tardy - 138
# of students with 5 or more tardies - 55

13-14
# of students with at least 1 tardy - 126

# of students with 5 or more tardies - 56

12-13
# of students with at least 1 tardy - 147


# of students with 5 or more tardies - 43

Improving Instructional Practices Vol. 10

Thanks to Mrs. Morrissey and Ms. Niemeyer for these short, weekly tips for effective instruction.

Get Wild with Questions & Hogs*

The acronym WILD HOG is all about designing classroom questions. It stands for: Written Intentionally for Learning Depth and Higher Order Genius. What’s it about? Usually when we teach, we are focused on the lesson’s progression and how the students are interacting with the content and each other, not leaving us much time for deeper thinking during instruction. As a result, our questions may be off-the-cuff, lower- level questions.

WILD HOG questions are developed before the lesson, during the planning stage, when teachers have time to analyze the scaffolding of the learning experience. Create WILD HOG questions with your Bloom’s Taxonomy right by your side. This strategy will help you construct questions for every level and help you target specific questions for specific groups or individual students.

Done right, WILD HOG questions will help students answer questions completely, effectively, problem-solve and discuss deeply learned concepts. What are some excellent questioning techniques that you use to inspire learning and engage your students? Share your information on the blog or shoot us an email to spread your questioning expertise among your colleagues.

Here are additional links for questioning resources:

Critical Thinking Skills

Questions a Critical Thinker Asks

38 Question Starters Based on Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom’s Taxonomy Revised with Verbs

Adapted from the article written by Ben Johnson on Edutopia.  Want to read the full article? Click here to learn more.

News & Notes 2/6/15

As we jump into February, the lists of things that we need to accomplish seem a little daunting...continuing our quest for higher levels of student achievement, continuing to focus on building and growing a positive student-centered culture, budget, mid-year SLO/PPG-EE meetings, mini-observations...The list could go on.  You wonder how the year flies by so fast.  A few notes from the week that was, and the week to come.

Our Students
During our staff meeting, I shared the DEWS (Drop-Out Early Warning System) data with everyone. I think just looking at what DEWS stands for, adds a heightened importance of what we do in this building every day.  The kids that frustrate us the most, need us the most.  The manner in which we view these students and how we interact with them has a big impact on their connection to school, and ultimately, their success.  Relationships with adults at school are proven to be the most effective way to get these students to learn the lessons we need to teach them, both socially and academically.

Mid-Year Review
If you have your SLO data monitored, and are ready to meet to review the progress towards your SLO goal, shoot me an email.  We will meet shortly thereafter.  I will work to get these meetings concluded by the end of February.

Budget Reminder
This is a reminder about the budget timeline.  Please have your requests submitted to me by March 13.  If you need a budget process packet, please let me know, I have copies available in my office.

Staff Meeting Review
Thanks again for a positive staff meeting on Wednesday.  I really enjoy the time that we get to spend together as a group, and really enjoyed hearing about some of the exciting things that are happening in our classrooms.  A collaborative culture makes doing what we do more enjoyable.

Rigor
Increasing the rigor in our classrooms goes hand in hand with facilitating literacy activities with our content.  Activities that require discussion, purposeful reading, and writing help to build the literacy capacity of our students.  Showing our students what advanced level work and writing looks like, will help them visualize the road map it will take to get their own skills to that level.

Educational Politics
What a week it has been in the political arena in Wisconsin.  The release of the proposed state budget has set off quite a stir.  Here are some links to articles and information related to how the proposed budget could impact K-12 education. HERE, HERE, and HERE.  It will be interesting to follow any changes the legislature will make to the budget proposal.

Twitter Find of the Week

Douglas Reeves‏@DouglasReeves

#NESAChat @emilysb1 Just a clarification - it’s important to share not only exemplars, but also work that is in progress

Duty Next Week

Morning Duty - Jorgensen, Kallungi

Bus Duty - Jorgensen

Love and Logic Strategies

Low Stress Strategies for Successful Educators

• Set limits in the classroom without anger
• Provide underachievers hope and willingness when the going gets tough
• Build strong connections between home and school
• Manage and immediately handle disruptive students
• Get and keep students' attention
• Build positive student-teacher relationships
• Help students own and solve their own problems
• Diffuse power struggles

Because:

• Hand the problem back to the student who created it.
• When the student has to solve the problem, they have to think.
• They learn that decisions have consequences.
• When dealing with consequences, they learn to think and practice self control

Strategy 1: Model and teach problem solving.

Lead with empathy.                 “Tough problem, huh?”

Follow with a sincere question. “What do you plan to do?”

Gain permission to share.  “Would you like to know what others have tried?”

Explore possible outcomes.     “How do you think this might work for you?”

Allow to solve or not.               “Good luck. Let me know how that works.”

Or….take ownership.                 “Feel free to…..when……”